Now the planks are starting to go on the moulds and its the birth of a new boat.

This photo shows the spoil board being put in place ready to mark the starboard side garboard plank.

This photo shows the spoil board being position on the stem and final trimming of the stem to fit the spoil board.

This photo shows the first garboard plank being cramped in place.

This photo shows the front end of the garboard plank being placed in the steam box to make it possible to cramp it easier to the stem given the tight angle it has to turn to fit the stem.

The steamed garboard plank cramped in place on the stem and left to cool down over the weekend before starting to final fit the garboard next week.

The start of the new dinghy.

This photo show s the plywood spoilt board cramped to the stem

This photo shows the spoilt boards cramped to one of the mould station along the length of the boat.

This photo show the first board of larch with the spoilt board pinned to it ready to mark it up

This photo shows the front end of the spoilt board

This photo shows the aft end of the larch board with the spoilt marker set up on the witness marks that were taken off the keel and mould station marks

The new Mai-Star Class dinghy starting to take shape.

So the new dinghy starts its building process.

This photo shows the new dinghy now set up and leveled anf the sheerline batten fixed in place.

A photo of the sheerline batten from the starboard bow .

This photo shows the roof braces in place ready for the work to begin and the hull to take shape over the following months.

Now that the building stocks are in place the work can begin on building the new boat and see it take shape and be afloat for next season.

It has been a busy week at J-Star Boats with a number of projects progressing along

The weather has not been good over the course of the last week, but that has not stopped us from getting a number of jobs sorted out on a number of projects.

The new build has seen the transom made and glued together and now made ready to cut to size and get fitted in place so the the planking can start on the boat.

The Enterprise restoration is progessing along with the deck now all dry fitted and the front bouyant tank bulkhead now dry fitted and ready to epoxy tape and seal in place. Once that is glued in placeand the forward end of the boat is varnished and the underside of the deck gets the same treatment. Then the deck can be glued and pinned down and the rest of the deck can follow suit.
Then the boat can be put to one side until the weather gets better and the painting and varnishing can take place in the spring.

While this is being done the new build can get underway and also the major refit on the Mai-Star II can get underway and have the planks, ribs and the cabin sides and roof re-fitted and the whole boat painted and varnished and the rest of the work completed on it.

So there are a number of other project to be getting underway as well, such as the mini refit of the Hardy 18 "Me Time" as well as the Princess 25 September Morn refit as well. So there are a number of project to do over the next few months.

A change in direction and other work to do.

As with all jobs in a boatyard, there are always changes just around the round when you least expect it to come from. So as jobs get put on hold it gives you time to get on with other jobs that you had put off for another time.

This is the case with the new dinghy the company will be building over the winter months. Now that time as made itself available in the schedule, it as been possible to make a start on cutting and shaping the stem and apron of the dinghy and over the next coming days and weeks the boat should start to take shape from a log of larch to a small clinker dinghy.

This photo is of the apron being cut down to shape before being planed down to the correct finished shape.

This photo shows the apron being started to be planed down to the correct finished size and shape before it has the copper bolts fitted and it is glued together.

 

The Enterprise dinghy hull panels on the outside finished just the bilge keels to be fitted.

This photo shows the inside of the panels have been masked up to help stop the glue going on to the panels

This photo shows the finished hull panels ready to have the fixing holes plugged with filler and then sanded down ready to be primered.

View of the starboard side ready to be painated

This photo shows the new hull panels now primered and ready to have any small holes filled with fine filler and then given a second coat of primer

View of the starboard side

view of the port side with just the final scarf joint needing to be finished off and then primered like the rest of the boat.

The hull panels finally finished off.

The third panel being cut down to shape

 The fourth and final hull panel cut and planned down to shape and ready to come off and get glued in place

 This photo is of the starboard side hull panel finished off ready to be removed and then glued on

 This photo of the port side and now it is ready to glue in place and the the boat can be filled andfaired and then turned over ready to have the front watertight bulkhead fitted and then the new deck fitted and the boat revarnished inside and a new coat of white gloss on the outside.

A busy week ahead

A busy week ahead with the Enterprise dinghy restoration coming along with the new hull panels almost completed and ready to glue and screw in place. Once that is done then the whole of the outside of the hull will be cleaned down and the old paint on the existing panels removed and the hull will be painted with International Interprotect two pack epoxy primer and then filled and faired up and then painted back to a bright white gloss.

Once that is done then the boat will be turned back over on to its keel and the new deck and front bulkhead which will take the place of the bouyant bag. Once the bulkhead is in place then the new deck will be glued and fixed down and then the slow but rewarding job of varnishing the inside and the decks can start.

While all this is going on there are a number of other projects underway for window replacements to full refits on a number of other small craft. So all in all a busy week ahead.